new lures

Question
    I have seem a few new lures advertised and am interested in teir effectiveness.  the ads say that they are so good some may be outlawed in tournaments.
    have you used or heard from those who have used the, kick tail, walking worm, lures that blink blood red, and another whose name escapes me, but it s a soft imitation fish that comes in different sizes?
    thank you for any info you can give.  robert

Answer
Hi Robert,

Outside of live bait, I don't think there has ever been a lure "outlawed" in tournaments.  It's great marketing chatter, but not really true.

In general, all these gimmick baits will catch fish.  Do they catch any more fish than other baits from the major manufacturers?  Probably not.

Basically, the lures from these infomercial type companies are gimmicks.  They will work under the right conditions, but they aren't a miracle. But these ads are directed at an audience of casual fishermen.

A very good company named Luckycraft has made a lure like the Kick Tail for many years.  There have been lighted, blinking lures in the backs of magazines for the 40 years I can remember. That "Fish Jig" they are selling is just like any of the Storm Wildeyes or Northlands Mimic Minnows or about 20 others on the market right now.  

It's all about the marketing.  Probably one of the most successful infomercial lures ever was the Banjo Minnow.  The actual Banjo minnow is Tom Mann's Shad-dow.  But they packaged it up with all the hooks, weights and an instructional video.  And low and behold!  They sold millions, mostly to people who were only casual anglers caught up in the 30 minute infomercial that was cleverly disguised as a fishing show.  In reality, the lure was already available.

So, I'm not here to "poo-poo" these lures.  They will catch fish.  Are they the greatest thing since the rod and reel.  No!  

Good fishing!